Cushion retaining device for chair backs



P. CHALLIS CUSHION RETAINING DEVICE FOR CHAIR BACKS Filed 001:. 2, 1946 25 l/Vl/E/YTGR Phil Challis ,1 ZJ FW v ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 12, 1952 OFFICE CUSHION RETAINING DEVICE FOR CHAIR BACKS.

Philip Challis, London, England Application October 2, 1940, Serial No. 700,771

In Great Britain August 31, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires August 31, 1965 The present invention relates to a device for retaining cushions in place when it is required to use them with chair heads, or chair backs, primarily though not exclusively of the unupholstered type and has for its object the provision of a device of this nature which is easily and cheaply made readily attachable to or detachable from said chair head or chair back and when disassembled is capable of being stored in a small space.

According to the present invention a device for retaining a cushion in place upon the head or back of a chair comprises a pair of spaced loop members adapted to receive and retain the cushion and means for retaining said loop mem-- bers on the chair head or chair back. Preferably the loop members are made of springy construction and formed so as to embody clamping members by which they are attached to the chair head or chair back.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating forms of cushion-retaining devices constructed in accordance with the present invention:

Figure 1 shows one of the loop members in the course of construction;

Figure 2 shows in isometric view a complete cushion-retaining device composed of a pair of such loop members united together;

Figure 3 shows a modified construction of one of the loop members; and

Figures 4 and 5 show details of mechanism for constructing the loop members shown in Figure 1.

In the form of cushion-retaining device shown in Figures 1 and 2 springy wire for example of 8 or 9 gauge is bent to the looped form shown in Figure 1 preferably by bending around a suitably shaped mandrel. Several such looped forms may be made in succession by bending a length of wire about the mandrel and afterwards dividing them into separate looped frames by severance at the points A and B. The two projecting legs A and B of each looped frame are bent at points A and B at right angles to the plane of the loop. Thus when a pair of such frames are placed side by side and united by two short tubes D and E a cushion-retaining device according to the invention is obtained as shown in Figure 2. Previously to uniting the pair of frames by the tubes D and E a cross piece 0 of wire is threaded on to the two frames into the position shown in Figure 2 so as to form a cross bar at the back and prevent the cushion or pillow from bulging out under pressure of being forced through the back. It will be obvious that half of the looped frames 4 Claims. (01. -174) will have their legs A and ..B bent to the right and the other half to the left so as to form pairs of members adapted to be united as shown. in Figure 2. It will also be 'seenthatwhen disassembled the said cushionretaining devices are capable of being packed into a small space. When the device is assembled the loops are so stressed that the leg portions A and B overlap as shown in Figure 2 so as toform springyclamping devices adapted to be attached to the head or back of the chair, the pressure of the 'headof the user upon the cushion or pillow serving .to tighten the clamps on to the chair. If desired the wire may be covered or wrapped in any suitable material.

Alternatively the two spaced loops may support a fabric cover stretched between them which would serve toact as protection from soiling any cushion employed in the device." a 1 Whilst it is preferred to manufacture the device from steel spring wire for purposes of economy more expensive models may be made and the retaining loops may be formed from spring steel strip preferably covered either by textile covering or by a plastic sheath. Where wire is used it may be similarly covered.

In the modification shown in Figure 3 the loops are each composed of a plurality of pieces joined together. The individual pieces are made from tubular wire or metal rod bent to the required shape so as to constitute the looped frame when joined together at F, G, H and J for example by scarfed hinged joints united by a bolt and nut or by an eyelet type of fastener which provides an aperture as at K for connecting the back crosspiece C. The hinge joint J allows the bent leg A to be raised so as to pass over the bent leg B to secure or release the cushion or pillow.

Figures 4 and 5 show apparatus which may be used for producing the looped frames shown in Figures 1 and 2 by bending wire around a suitably shaped mandrel M. This mandrel is rotated clockwise about its axis N while the wire is anchored at O and fed from a drum or the like at P. The rotation of the mandrel is effected by means of a pinion Q on the axis N engaging with teeth R on an interrupted toothed wheel S the number of teeth B. being sufiicient to cause one revolution of the mandrel. The axis T of the wheel S also carries a pair of cams U and V adapted to operate pivoted arms W and X. Each time the mandrel reaches the position shown in Figure 4 rotation ceases for a while during which the arms W and X force the wire into the groove Y and onto the shoulder Z, the arm X completing its work and remaining holding the wire down legs A and B at right angles to the plane of the loops.

What I claim is:

1. A device for removably holding a cushion in place upon the back of a chair to form a headrest, comprising a pair of spaced springy loop members adapted to receive and retain the cushion and each loop provided with crossing leg members 'of springy nature whereby expansion of the loop causes the leg members to tend to move one toward the other thereby serving as clamps for attaching the device to a chair head by the gripping action exerted upon said leg membersby said loop, said leg members of both of said loops being bent at right angles to the planes of the loops,'the legs'of one loop being bent to the right and thelegs of the other loop being bent to the left and united to the ends of the legs of the first mentioned legs.

2. A device as "claimed. inclaim 1 wherein a cross piece is attached to the rear sides of the loop members belowthe peak of the loop to prevent the cushion -from being forced through the back of the device; v

3. A device'forremovably holding a cushion in place upon the back'of a chair to form a headrest, comprising apair of springy loop membersin' planes spaced laterally apart, said loops each having front and back reaches and adapted to receive parts of a'cushion therein and retain the cushion cross-wise between the loops with the back reach of each loop at the rear of said cushion and the front reach of each at the front thereof, and each loop having a front and back leg of which the front leg extends from the back reach ofthe loop and the back leg extends from the front reach of the loop, whereby rearward pressure on the cushion and back reaches of the loops is counteracted by engagement of the front legs with the chair back, and forward pressure on the cushion and front reaches of the loops is counteracted by engagement of the back legs with the chair back.

4. A device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the lower ends of one loop are bent to the right and those of the other loop are bent to the left with the bent ends of the front legs secured to each other and the bent ends of the rear legs secured together.

PHILIP CHALLIS.

' REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

